Gold Coast coach Des Hasler speaks about viral dressing room spray ahead of 500th NRL game

Des Hasler’s dressing room spray of a shell-shocked Titans group went viral this week. Now, as the coach prepares for his 500th and possibly final NRL game, he’s addressed the saga.

Des Hasler has “moved on” from the dressing room spray that went viral as the Titans vowed to deliver their under siege coach a win in what could be his 500th and final NRL match.

The Titans are hoping to snap a four-game losing streak against the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday – a week after Hasler tore strips off them following the Leichhardt Oval horror show.

Hasler went apoplectic in the moments after the 21-20 loss to Wests Tigers – spraying his Gold Coast players twice as the club took another step towards the 2025 wooden spoon.

Firstly, Hasler blasted them about their horrendous, ill disciplined and error-riddled performance against the similarly terrible Tigers and then told his players to get showered and dressed.

But Hasler didn’t like what he saw after a group of players were skylarking in the showers, prompting the coach to unload again – this time in sight of Fox League’s dressing room cameras.

The second spray directed at Titans players Moeaki Fotuaika, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, David Fifita, Klese Haas and Phil Sami went viral as club owners Rebecca and Brett Frizelle ran for cover.

Des Hasler blows up after the loss to the Tigers watched on by Titans' co-owners Brett and Rebecca Frizelle. Pic: Fox League

It was another moment to remember in what has been a colourful 21-year NRL coaching career for Hasler – a two-time premiership winner with Manly.

Speaking to media for the first time since the vision leaked, Hasler was his at his wily best with reporters in New Zealand.

“Oh, I forgot all about that,” Hasler said with a grin on Friday.

“I moved on. They’re just moments, so yeah, I’ve moved on.

“That’s the way it is.”

What Hasler hasn’t been able to move on from is the predicament he finds himself in.

The Titans are anchored to last spot on the NRL ladder with a 4-13 record and a loss to the Warriors will take Hasler closer to being axed.

Hasler is contracted at the Titans until the end of next year, however a clause in his deal allows Gold Coast to terminate him once they are out of contention for this season’s finals.

The Titans could be six wins, and a healthy points differential, outside the top eight by the end of this weekend and with only six rounds to go that would make them a mathematical impossibility of qualifying for the play-offs.

Hasler, 64, has maintained he has no plans to retire and it’s looking like the Titans will have to punt him if they want to part ways. His previous exits from Manly (twice) and Canterbury haven’t exactly been amicable departures.

While he has lost factions of players in the Titans’ locker room, Hasler still maintains strong support among many.

Captain Kieran Foran said the team was determined to give Hasler something to smile about in what could be his final milestone match.

Hasler could be sacked after his 500th NRL game on Saturday. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

“We absolutely love him and the guys love playing for him,” Foran said.

“They see his pride and his passion and the dedication that he puts into coaching the side.

“We really want to put in a performance that he’s proud of on Saturday.

“I’m incredibly happy for him, he’s given the game of rugby league so much throughout his life.

“At 64 years of age he’s been in the game a long, long time both as a player and as a coach and I think the impact he’s had on many players’ lives has been instrumental as well.

“It’s just a credit to the sort of person he is, the coach that he’s been. He has tried to drain every ounce out of all his players and get as much success as possible.

“It’s a wonderful achievement for him and hopefully we can do him proud on Saturday.”

Kieran Foran has paid tribute to Hasler. Picture: Getty

The Titans were in a position to beat the Tigers before coming up with a number of shocking plays, including an inexcusable shot clock scrum violation.

Foran said they deserved the sprays that came their way and hoped to turn things around in Auckland, where they’ve tasted success in their last two visits and what will be the five-eighth’s final NRL game on home soil.

“I guess it (spray) was warranted,” said Foran, who will retire at season’s end.

“We haven’t been having the season that we would have liked and that the club hoped for. It was a disappointing performance.

“We should have won that game and we had ourselves to blame. We turned the ball over on a number of occasions in that second half, made unforced errors and didn’t play smart footy, so he had every right to give us a spray.

“It’s always special coming home and the fact that this will be the final time that I lace the boots up on Kiwi turf is going to add that little bit of extra emotion to it.”

Titans hooker Sam Verrills has withdrawn from the match after remaining on the Gold Coast for the birth of his first child, with Sean Mullany coming into the team.

Originally published as Gold Coast coach Des Hasler speaks about viral dressing room spray ahead of 500th NRL game